Things I Almost Remember
by Languish-Dreams
Summary: One-shot. Complete. A brief stop in the woods during a snowy journey stirs up some unusual activity for Goku.


A/N: So it's been awhile, but I got a lovely message the other day (Hi Shadowfox! :D) and thought that it'd be nice to dust off the ole brain and see what pops out. Then I decided to try something new with my writing. I want to capture the spirit of a song. Not a songfic (bleh). I merely want to capture the FEEL of the song, in a story. Or at least try. So at the end here, I'll tell you what the song is. While you read, please concentrate on how the story makes you feel and what song might be represented. It'd be fun if you'd review and let me know if I sparked a particular song for you (or anything at all)! :) So now, onward!

_Things I Almost Remember_

By Languish_Dreams

Driving in snowy climates always presented a challenge. Not only did it make some paths far more difficult to traverse, they had to stop multiple times simply to warm up. During these stops, Goku would usually be sent out to track down wood for a fire as Hakuryuu slid into Hakkai's coat to thaw out. The brunet had quickly taken to the task this time, desperate for a few bites of food and knowing full well he'd be denied a crumb until the wood was deposited back at camp. Goku's pace had been quick at first, but he had slowed to nothing after only a few minutes. Something in the woods was...calling him?

No. That wasn't quite it.

A few delicate snowflakes drifted down, softly depositing themselves at the titan's feet as if in offering. Golden eyes stared ahead - his vision seemed foggy, out of place. Almost like a dream. The soft clattering of wood hitting the ground told his mind this was not a dream; Goku could feel the cold, he could still hear the vague sounds of his companions back at camp even. The wind was picking up ever so slightly, but it wasn't the cold biting sensation the brunet was expecting. A warm stirring of air blew past and Goku shut his eyes. He inhaled automatically, expecting to catch the scent of...

What? Why would he be expecting a scent to on the breeze? Opening his eyes, he was startled as another gust of wind sent several small leaves past his face. Goku watched as they were gently carried into the forest. Cherry blossoms?

The woods around him seemed to be shifting; smooth white snow giving way to a lush green field, full of flowers so beautiful as to make any man fall in love with them. Goku's mouth slid open as he stared at the glorious paradise around him, never noticing the chilled, visible breathes he exhaled. Taking a few steps forward, Goku inhaled again, fully expecting the smell of...of what? Something was missing. Laughter glided to his ears and the brunet turned at the sound of such familiar gayety. There were voices being carried on the wind, and though he couldn't make out the words, they nevertheless filled him with a sense of comfort and familiarity. Turning towards the sounds, Goku began to walk, then run in the direction he simply knew those voices came from.

A smile had began when the first warm breeze had passed over him, and it was quickly growing as a thousand familiar sights and sensation began to assault his body all at once. Everything was known to him, and yet he was seeing it all for the first time so far as he knew. It was as if it was all a distant memory, long forgotten but still clinging to the outer most reaches of his mind. Happiness filled his heart, and each wave of sound seemed to brighten the world around him. Distracted by a dozen scattered thoughts dancing through his mind, Goku cried out as his foot caught a rock and he fell to the ground with a painful thud.

He nearly laughed as he began to the pick himself up, but it quickly died in his throat as he looked down at the snow covered ground underneath him. Snapping his head up, Goku could still see the green fields before him, though it seemed it was slowly moving into the distance. With a sharp cry the titan was back on his feet, running as hard as he ever had, desperately trying to reclaim the warm, familiar breeze. He ignored the branches whipping past his face, urging his legs to move faster, closer. Deep ragged breathes assaulted his ears as the world around him slowly began to shift back into the desolate winter forest he had began in. Another laughter-filled breeze slid past him, filling him with so many thoughts and visions he couldn't make heads or tails of them. All Goku knew was that his entire world lay before him. Everything he had ever know was _right there_ and damned if his heart didn't nearly explode in his chest at the mere thought of joining that time again.

Another branch slammed into his face, forcing Goku to duck his head slightly to keep it from hitting his eyes. Looking back up, the field seemed even further away now and Goku cried out in despair, his arm stretching forward in a desperate motion. Leaning too far forward, the brunet stumbled several steps, his legs beginning to give out on him before he pitifully slid down to the ground. Taking a few deep, ragged breathes, Goku watched as the last of that green paradise faded away, replaced once again by the cold, uncaring forest.

Sanzo found him on his knees. From the light dusting of snow clinging to his hair, the monk surmised the teen had been sitting there for quite some time. A small pile of wood was spread out before him, where it had been dropped some time earlier. He couldn't see any footprints, no signs of a struggle; what in the world had gotten into the brunet this time? Sanzo slowly walked around and crouched down in front of Goku, surprised to find tears silently sliding down the younger man's cheeks. He had expected many things when he came out to find the wayward teen - this was not one of them. Without warning, Goku suddenly looked up and into Sanzo's eyes and, with a sharp inhale of breath, threw himself into blond's arms. Though he had no inclination as to what had happened, Sanzo merely dropped his knees into the snow and placed his arms around the chilled, crying teen. There was a quiet desperation in those golden eyes. As if Goku's entire world had just been stripped away and destroyed right before him. A warm breeze suddenly shifted past the pair and Sanzo looked up warily, immediately expecting some kind of trick or trap to surround them. But there was only the still, unbroken silence of thousands of tiny snowflakes slowly drifting towards the ground.

Goku inhaled deeply as the breeze swept over them, immediately placing the scent of gunpowder and vanilla. A bitter sigh escaped his lips.

Close.

So very close.

A/N: Well, it IS the first time writing again for a bit. I'll just tell myself that. I don't think it's a bad go at it, but I'm not sure I got it across as I wanted to. I'll have to think on it a bit and maybe try this again sometime. :) At any rate, the song was "Once Upon a December" from the movie Anastasia. It was less the words and more the orchestra that struck this up. It starts so quiet and moves into a rolling joy that seems to leak into a furious desperation and then quiet despair. But it may not feel the same for everyone. Just my take. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed and please feel free to review. :)


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